Mexican food is the most popular type of ethnic food in the U.S.—tied with Chinese food—according to a 2020 review of Google Trends data. And in a recent Harris Poll asking participants what food they’d choose if they could only eat one food for the rest of their lives found that one in 10 Americans would choose tacos above all other options. Unfortunately, if you were planning on making some tacos for dinner tonight, beware that one company’s popular taco seasoning has just been recalled, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced. Read on to find out which products are affected and what to do if you purchased one.
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A recall has been issued on nearly 4,000 cases of Tone’s Taco Seasoning Blend.
B&G Foods, the manufacturer of Tone’s Taco Seasoning Blend, has voluntarily recalled 3,867 cases of its seasoning after it was determined that some of the 23-oz. containers had been mislabeled.
The affected containers have the UPC number 0-41351-91461-5 and best-by dates of “Sept. 03 24” and “Sept 06 24,” which can be found on the bottom of the side of the container. Any Tone’s products with other UPC numbers or best-by dates are not affected.
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The affected batches were sold at Sam’s Club stores in 43 states and through the Sam’s Club website.
If you’re a Sam’s Club shopper, be sure to check your cabinet to see if you have the Tone’s Taco Seasoning Blend affected by the recall, which was sold at the stores and is very popular, with 415 customer ratings and an average of 4.7 out of 5 stars.
A notice on the websites for the Walmart Corporation, which owns Sam’s Club, shows the full list of stores where the affected seasoning was sold. It includes locations in the following 43 states: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
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The recall was issued because the taco seasoning could affect those with allergies.
The seasoning blends in question were mistakenly labeled with nutritional information for Tone’s Lemon Pepper Seasoning Blend instead of the Taco Seasoning Blend, and therefore, don’t include wheat as an ingredient.
In 2004, Congress passed the Food Allergen Labeling and
Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA), which identified eight foods as major allergens: milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and soybean. Food companies are required to disclose the presence of these ingredients in their products, but because of this mislabeled bottles of taco seasoning, these recalled items don’t include that consumer warning.
As the FDA notes its recall announcement regarding the taco seasoning: “People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to wheat run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if the recalled product is consumed. There is no health risk associated with this product for individuals without an allergy or severe sensitivity to wheat.”
If you have a reaction to the product in question, see your doctor immediately.
Wheat allergies are common among babies and toddlers whose immune systems are still forming, according to the Mayo Clinic, but most children outgrow it by their teens. Some adults who weren’t wheat allergy suffers as children may also independently develop wheat allergies as a “cross-sensitivity to grass pollen,” the clinic notes.
Wheat allergy symptoms can range from hives, headaches, and rashes, to nausea, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology. While antihistamines and steroids can typically control those symptoms, a small number of wheat allergy sufferers may go into severe anaphylactic shock if they come into contact with wheat. Anaphylaxis symptoms include throat and chest pain, difficulty breathing, trouble swallowing, and dizziness or fainting, according to Mayo Clinic. If left untreated, it can lead to death.
According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, around 30,000 cases of anaphylaxis are treated at hospital emergency rooms each year. Anaphylaxis can occur in a matter of minutes or even seconds, so sufferers should seek treatment immediately.
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The FDA says that if you have this seasoning and are worried about wheat allergies, throw it out.
If you’ve purchased this recalled seasoning, the FDA notice says you should “dispose of the product” or return it to your place of purchase for a full refund.
B&G Foods also says you can reach out directly to the company for a refund by calling 1-800-247-5251 Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST or submitting an online request.
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